Sure skiing is a dangerous and potentially lethal sport. Still, statistics have never stopped people from taking chances, and the popularity of skiing and all that it entails continues to rise around the world. However, it took more than five thousand years for the art of skiing as we know it today to evolve into an adrenaline-pumping, action-packed sport.
The first traces of skiing date back to the nomadic tribes of Asia and Europe, who were forced to develop a means of transportation for the snow-covered slopes that they had to face during their travels. The first skis were actually just the bones of large animals that were tied to the feet with the help of ropes made from the guts or skin of animals. Wooden skis came into use in the region of Lapland, now Norway, Finland, and Sweden, about two thousand years ago. People who used these skis did not bother to venture up the steep alpine slopes as the attachments on the skis were rudimentary and easily fell apart at higher speeds. Skis were occasionally used during the war to facilitate transportation and espionage in the mountains of Europe.
Norway was the site of the development of modern skiing. A Norwegian by the name of Sondre Norheim created the first hardtail skis and bindings, sometime in the 1850s. With the increased stiffness of the bindings, the control and maneuverability of the skis increased, allowing users to turn , wriggle and navigate with ease. The development of modern skiing took very little time from here and the Arlberg technique was born, on which the entire modern sport is based. In the year 1936, skiing under the aegis of Nordic sports was introduced at the Winter Olympics held in Switzerland. The Russians and Germans also used skis extensively during both world wars.
In its current form, nearly 50 million people enjoy the sport each year.
